Solar water-heater.



J. M. KENNEDY & J'. OHARA. SOLAR WATER HEATER.

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APPLICATION FILED JULY 19, 1 911.

Patent@ agp 6, wm.

soma waren-nemen Speeilcation letters v7a'tent.

JAMES KENNEDY AND JAMES OHl'l-A, 0F BLTIMGRE, MARYLAND.

Patented Aug. f5, i912.

To all whom it may concern;

lie it knonfnthat We, JAMES M, KENNEDY and JAMnsOHAnA, citizens of the United States, residing Yat Baltimore city, in 'the State ot liilaryland, have invented certain nenv and useful mprovernents in /Solar ll'yateiT-lreiters, of which the Aiollowing; is a specification.

This invention pertains to that class of iratcr heaters which utilize the heat ot the suns rays, and it consists in a novel construction of the heater whereby edicieney and cheapness are insured, and construction, with Whatever capacity may be desired, is rendered practicable 'in almost any place.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

`Figure l is a perspectivefview et the apparatus mounted in position upon the roof of a building, the water-supply pipe being-here represented as rising from a sup ply main which 'will atl'ord the necessary head or pressure, though it may, of course` be connected with an elevated tank or other sour-ee; Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical see tion on .the line Q-- of Fig. 3; and Fig.

is a plan View With the Idass top or cover partially removed, better to show the arrangement o't' the heaterlproper.

The utilization of the direct rays ot` the sun for heating both air and Water has tre-- q`1ently been cssayed and various t'orrns ot apparatus haring this object in 1"ieW have been devised.

Our purpose is to malte use of this source of heat, and to provide a construction which shall insure the rapid heating ot'.v and thc maintenance ot' heat in, a. considerable burly ot water, se that, aty any time a reasonable supply of highly heated Water may be drawn out.

A further object is to render practicable determination of or variation in the capacity et the apparatus.

le also aim to avoid any iuterfereiwe with the iree discharge of Water from the root ot the building or structure on` which the apparatus is placed, oi" the eloggringv or tailinrr ot the apparatus itself.

lilith these objects in rienv We construct the heater in the manner illustrated kin the drawings, and which We Will now explain.

lVe irst construct a suitable inclosingl box orcasing il, the dimensions of which Will vary'accordingto the. desired capacity et the apparatus, which will preferably he Such as to Contain atone time a volume' 4of Water suiheient to supply any demand likely to be inade upon it in the situation in which it is used. ln other Words, its capacity should be approximately thaty of an ordinary domestic Water heater, suitable for a like building. `Vt'ithinthe casing A is arranged the heater B, which is composed of a series of sections a ot hollow oriubular torni, similar to or idcntieal 'with thex'iiheet metal sections of radiators new eoninionlv employed for the heatingl of buildings. These sections o will preferably be made oft about an inch to ,an inch and a halt by siX to eight` inches cross section, and of a vlength determined by the place and requirements of use, six toet; more or less. being deemed a convenient and suitable length. The cubic contents of these secv tions u being known or readily aseertain able, a heater ot any desired capacity may easily be constructed by simply assembling as many sections as are needed. and c oupling these sections one to another in such manner as to insure a flow ot Water through the several sections in series. To insure this proper trareh the water-supply pipe (i is connected with on(l end of the lowermost section a of the heater, preferably nea'r the bottom or lower level thereof, as seen in Fig. Q. Connection witlrthe succeeding" 'section is made by a suitable nipple or short pipe 7)3 preferably at the top or upper level, as seen in the same figure, and this alternation of ends and elevations it is desirable to maintain throughout thel structure with a View to better insuring proper travel ot the water through every portion of the heater. The deliveryv pipe l) is connected with the terminal end of the heater, that is to say,y With the extremity ot the suppermost section a thereof, said pipe being led to the cocks or Jfaucets in the building in the same manner as from the ordinary domestic Water heater. y

A"is betere mentioned, the supply pipe C may come from any source of supply liar ing a suitable head, -or the flow of Water may be had by siphonic` action if the reservoir and outlets be properly placed; with reference one to the other. Under any of these arrangements a flow of water from the pipe, C through tlyeheaterio the pipe D and its discharge cocks or faucets, will take place.

To prevent entrance of rain, leaves, dust, etc., within the box or casing A, and interference with the heater, there is preferably placed over the same a covering E of glass or other transparent material, through which the heat of the suns rays may readily pass to reach the heater B.

lt is desirable that the sections a of the 'i heater bc spaced suiiiciently apart to permit the sun"s rays to pass betwe en and reach the sides of the sections fromitheir upper to their lower edges, or substantially so. The position of the heater will, of course, be chosen with reference to the points of the compass and the path of the sun, so as to secure the maximum effect of its rays upon the tops and side 'walls ofthe sections a.

The cover E serves not only to exclude rain, dust, leaves, etc., but confines a body of air within the chamber, which in a short time becomes highly heated,'and surrounding the sections n. on all sides, materially increasesI the eilii-,iency of the heating action, and renders less important the position of the heater, provided only its top surface be reasonably exposed tothe direct rays vof the sun.

lVith the sections a of substantially the dimensions above suggested, we nd it expedient to space said sections about two .inches apart. lt is to be understood, how-V ever, that n'one of the dimensions here suggested are essential, and that we do not in any manner restrict ourselves thereto, or to' any specific dimensions or proportions. These may be varied at will. It is deemed expedient, however, to have the sections a comparatively thin from side to side, tothe end that the heat of the suns rays may act upon'the body of water from wall to Wall of each section, and it is also desirable that the separation of the sections be such as to permit the rays of the sun to reach and cover a side wall of each section from the upper to the l'ower edge, under the ordinary variations of position of the sun in the particular latitude in Iwhich the device is used.

Tn order to leave clear passage for the rain .falling upon the building, the box or casing A is provided with feet c, raising its bottom a suitable distance above the roof, and thus affording a clear spacebeneath it. These feet may be secured in any convenient manner to the roof. or other support upon which the heater is used, it being of course obvious that the heater may be used upon the ground, or in any other convenient position, provided suitable means be employed to insure the flow of water from the supply to the discharge pipe. When the heater is used upon ya roof, this elevation is further advantageous in that it permits a free cir` culation of air, and avoids rotting of the shingles, rusting of tin, or other injury to the roof incident to ythe retention of moisture beneath it. y Y

The sections a .of the heater'may'be suitably spaced apart. by thimbles or spools d, and tied together by. tierods`. or long bolts e passing through said sections and through the spools, any usual or suitable type of joint, either ground, threaded, or packed,

being provided to guard against leakage. The heater sections may be of any suitable metal, copper having high conductivity and being comparatively free from deterioration through corrosion, butI pressed steel will be found very satisfactory, andis at once cheaper and stiffer than copper. The sectionsmay also, if desired, be coated with any suitable pigment, preferably applied flat, to increase the absorption ofrheat, and the interior of the box or casingA, which latter will be made of wood or other relatively poor conductor of heat, may be painted with white enamel paint or other light-refiecting substance, to throw back against the heater sections the rays falling upon suchsurfac'e. No claim, however, is made to such coating of thesurfaces, as this principle is well known, and has been heretofore utilized.

As the sections a of the heater, andl the thimbles' or couplings, tie-rods, etc., are regular articles of manufacture and commerce, obtainable in all cities and towns of.

any considerable size, or upon order, and as 'they are of standard dimensions, it Willbe seen that a mechanic of very modest ability may readily construct the device with a few simple tools, and make the necessary connections therewith. For summer use particularly, the device will be found useful and desirable, avoiding entirely the necessity for ire,-and the consequent heating of,

the building or room in which the fire is ordinarily present.

lt is intended that the box or casing A shall be placed in a position either horizontal, orinqlining at the same angle as an ordinary roof, upon which it may be used. The sections a of the heater will therefore occupy a substantially.upstanding position, and it is in this sense that the term upstanding is elsewhere used herein.

Having thus described our invention,

what we claim isti l. The herein described solar heater, comi prising a box or casing; a plurality of thin,

fiat, hollow metal sections connected in series with their fiat facesopposed, and arranged lin upstanding position within said box or casing; supply and delivery pipes connected with opposite ends of the series of sections; and a transparent cover applied to the box or casing, substantially' as 'described. 1

2. In a solar heater, the combination with a b ox or casing, of a plurality of thin, dat

metal sections ofhollow form placed irrupstandng position with their a't facesopposed, andconnected in series by thimbies or"Y hollow couplings; spacing Inemlbers in-v i terposed between said sectlons, and serving to holdthem apart a distance suicient to permit thel direct `Contact; of the sns rays therewithfrom their-,upper to their lower margins; fasvtenings serving to bind together' the-several sections and supply. and

delivery pipes connected respectively with the first and last of said sections.

ln testimony whereof We have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses. JAMES M. KENNEDY.

JAMES OHARA. Witnesses VVALLIs E. SMITH, EMANUEL E. DOUGHERTY. 

